Reunited
by Cerih
Summary: Years after his encounter with 456, Jack finds a small measure of peace from an unexpected place. Jack/Ianto and Tosh/Owen. Some spoilers for Children of the Earth.


Authors note: I still don't own Torchwood, Doctor Who, or any of the characters mentioned. Must try harder...

Reunited

Jack was enticed from his sleep by the familiar scent of freshly-brewed, strong coffee. He experienced a brief moment of vertigo-like confusion, as he stared at his desk covered in towering piles of paper, which were constantly on the very edge of collapsing. Beyond the desk was his office, everything exactly where he had left them. In front of him was a steaming mug of coffee, which he stared uncomprehending for a moment. He then looked to the door, just in time to see Ianto, wearing his trade mark suit and looking as handsome as ever, give him a small smile and then close the door behind him.

For a moment Jack was tempted to ignore the small voice in the back of his head telling him that none of this was real. It would have been so easy to pretend that none of the events around the 456 had ever taken place. That Ianto and Steven were both alive and well, and that the Hub had never been blown up. Jack, however, was too rational for that, so he strode to the door and began descending down the stairs when his process was halted by a voice he never thought he would hear again:

"Jack! It was about bloody time, mate. You go and give Janet a stern talking to, she nearly bit my arm off when I went to feed her!"

Jack could only stare as Dr Owen Harper stalked towards him from the medical bay. Owen looked just like he always had, arrogant and self-assured, but the way he paused to smile at Toshiko, who was busy analysing Rift activity data, softened his features into something more handsome and approachable. Toshiko returned Owen's smile briefly and reached to stroke the doctor's arm as he passed her. Ianto emerged from one of the tunnels, holding a black bag, and began tidying the desks. Jack continued to gape at his dead team members, all looking remarkably healthy and very much alive.

"But how? Err, I mean", Jack stumbled over the words as he was trying to decide what to ask first, "where is Gwen?" He figured Gwen was bound to be around too, if all the others had found their way into a hallucination.

"What are you talking about", Owen laughed, "Gwen is not dead yet. She won't be coming here for a long time yet."

Jack opened his mouth, but as no words came out he shut it again. Owen's words had done what only a few people had managed – the infamous Captain Jack Harkness was actually speechless. The doctor smirked and then continued:

"Speaking of which, I really feel that that the employment contract we signed when we joined Torchwood was not entirely honest. It's all very well for us to agree to dedicate our lives to defending the Earth against extraterrestrial threats, but there was no mention of our duties extending beyond the grave. And incidentally, is this place meant to be Heaven or Hell? I mean, being reunited with Toshiko here is far more than I ever expected, but at the same time having to look after a cranky dinosaur and chasing weevils is not exactly me idea of salvation."

All throughout Owen's speech, which was really more of a rant, Jack had been feebly opening and closing his mouth. He was still in a shock, when a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder and the captain turned to see Ianto standing next to him.

"This is all a lot to take in", the young Welshman said quietly. "Perhaps you would like to sit down for a moment?"

Jack nodded and wordlessly allowed his lover to lead him away from the others. He expected them to head for the worn sofas, or perhaps one of the work stations, but instead Ianto took him back to his office. Jack was seated by his desk and the younger man added a splash of Scotch to his cooling coffee. Ianto moved the mug so that it was next to the captain's hand and then sat opposite Jack.

The Captain spent a long moment attempting to gather his thoughts, but his mind was a cloud of whirling memories and snippets of past conversations. Before it all overwhelmed him, Jack sought a distraction by reaching for his coffee mug. The coffee was still hot, all smooth and strong, just like Jack liked it best. In fact, the taste was so familiar and so perfect that he let out an involuntary sob. It was only now, with his lover sitting a mere yard away, that Jack came to fully appreciate just how hollow his life had become without Ianto. All those planets and spaceships and light years spent running from the memories, the drugs and the alcohol and all the anonymous one night stands now made Jack feel exhausted and unclean. His salvation was so close and yet he was afraid to look at Ianto lest he vanish like a dying man's mirage.

"What happened?" Jack finally managed to summon enough courage to whisper the question.

"I died, Jack." Ianto's response was spoken softly and yet it elicited another sob from the Captain.

The Welshman pressed on.

"Last thing I remember is being in your arms, and then I drifted away into the darkness. After what seemed like forever, but what could have in fact been just seconds, I woke up here. Toshiko and Owen were waiting for me, it seems they knew I was coming somehow. The three of us have carried on working as normal. Well, as normal as it can get with Owen around, that is."

"But what on earth is this place?" Jack was slowly recovering his natural curiosity.

"As far as we can tell, it seems that the Hub has somehow frozen at a specific point in time, namely the time for our Torchwood. We have never met any previous Torchwood Three employees besides ourselves, nor have we encountered anyone from other Torchwoods. It seems that this place, be it an afterlife, some sort of place in between, or even merely a figment of someone's imagination, is centred around us specifically. There is a version of Cardiff out there, with people and Weevils and all manners of Rift activity, but how far beyond the city this place extends is anyone's guess. We have not ventured that far and to us it seems like that is a question best left unanswered.

"So here we are, waiting something."

"Waiting for what?" Jack frowned.

"Who knows", Ianto shrugged, "for you and Gwen perhaps? Maybe none of us are able to move on until our team is complete once more."

"But I cannot die", Jack pointed out, "so that would mean that you are all stuck here forever, waiting for me."

"There are worse places to be." Ianto replied with a melancholic smile.

Jack stood up silently and walked around to the Welshman, who rose to meet him. Jack extended his hand hesitantly and brushed his fingers down Ianto's cheek, tracing his jaw line toward his lips. When his lover did not disappear in a puff of smoke, Jack threw all caution to wind and pulled the younger man into fierce embrace. Ianto let out a little sigh and wrapped his arms around his Captain.

"I thought I would never be able to touch you again." Jack whispered into Ianto's hair. "You died and I never even had the chance to tell you how much I loved, and still love, you."

"In my heart I always knew." Ianto pulled back enough to look into Jack's eyes. "I saw it in your eyes when you looked at me, and felt it every time we touched."

Once again, Ianto took the lead and steered the Captain to the hatch that led to his quarters. Once down there, they finally kissed, hesitant at first, but their bodies were quick to remember their shared experiences. All through the night, as they made love, they clung to each other with desperation brought upon by the pain of separation they had endured. They held on to one another even when they finally succumbed to exhaustion and drifted off to peaceful slumber.

########

Galaxies away, deep within a belly of a giant starship, Captain Jack Harkness awoke slowly, feeling utterly disoriented. He stared at his cabin wall for a long while, feeling both shocked and strangely numb. Then he rolled over with a new determination and closed his eyes once more. Jack was not sure whether he could spend the rest of his eternal life asleep, but he sure was going to try.


End file.
